Many companies usually try to reduce procurement cost. To be cost effective, some consider a method of evaluating parts information of a plurality of suppliers, and setting up various conditions. This is, for example, disclosed in the Japanese Patent Application Disclosure No. 2000-113051.
Further, the electronic bid system is known to electronically call for bids. The electronic bidding using this system is performed with connection, through communications, such as the Internet, to an information processing apparatus, operated by a bid host. Additionally, the electronic bidding is also performed with a connection to information processing apparatuses operated by bid participants.
Such an electronic bid system is not only used for dealings between individuals, but can be used for dealings between companies (usually bid hosts) and suppliers (usually bid participants). Using such a system, a performance-function value may be calculated based on a difference from a bid host's expectation (desired values) about, for example, functions, prices, and delivery dates of each bid participant's parts, and the bid host orders parts of which the calculated value becomes the minimum. This is for example, disclosed in the Japanese Patent Application Disclosure No. 2001-266046.
However, when trying to cost effectively use the electronic bid system for dealings between companies and suppliers (that is, for a bid and purchase of parts between the companies and the suppliers), the companies had to analyze information on the parts and prices, information on receiving an order for products requiring the parts, and information producing the products. Only then can the system cost effectively call for bids on one of the parts and purchase them.
In the conventional electronic bid system, a bid host had to consider each of the above information separately since there was no technique of collectively judging or analyzing information, such as the above mentioned information related to the parts, prices, receipt of order for products requiring the parts and to producing the products, when, for example, parts to be called for bids are selected. Therefore, it was difficult to collectively judge and analyze such information and to cost-effectively purchase the parts.
Moreover, it requires a lot of work to consider the information, such as the parts information, price information, information of receipt of orders for products requiring the parts, information of producing the products, and so on. This is especially true when many kinds of parts have to be called for bids on. In such a situation, an operator of a bid host may be engaged in a lot of work and it may lead to problems of failing to call for bids on necessary parts and/or of mistakenly calling for bids on unnecessary parts.
Furthermore, in the conventional electronic bid system, much time and effort was required to consider the above conditions since there was no technique of statistically analyzing the bid conditions (bidding quantity, bidding price, etc.) in a market about the parts to be called for bids and to be purchased.